There is known a technology in which when a terminal device receives a beacon signal, the terminal device sends the beacon identifier (ID) of the received signal to a server, and the server delivers bonus information such as an application or content (a coupon or the like) in accordance with the beacon ID (for example, see Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2004-159151).
The technology in which a terminal device at a specific location at which the terminal device receives a beacon signal or in a specific state such as a specific category (hereinafter also referred to as a place) receives delivery of specific information specialized for that place is also referred to as a place-based service hereinafter. The occurrence in which a terminal device enters a specific state is also referred to as check-in. The occurrence in which a terminal device exits the specific state is also referred to as check-out.
According to Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2004-159151, a radio frequency identification (RF-ID) tag is attached to each runner running in a race, and a receiver is placed on a gate. Further, electromagnetic waves emitted by the RF-ID tag attached to the runner are received by the receiver, and the specific frequency of the electromagnetic waves is detected, so that it is detected which runner has passed the gate. Further, information about a runner acquired from the RF-ID tag and the time at which the runner passes through the gate are stored in association with each other. As related art technologies, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2014-16248, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2001-311626, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2010-48797, and Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2002-132820 are disclosed.
However, with the above technologies, when a runner moves at high speed, the amount of time from a time at which a terminal device “checks in” a place to a time at which the runner reaches a location where the terminal device is present is short. Therefore, when information about the runner is delivered from a server to the terminal device, the runner has already passed by the user or is immediately prior to passing by the user, and thus the user is not able to reference the delivered information about the runner before the user cheers the runner passing by the user. In view of the above, it is desirable that specific information be able to be delivered to a terminal device in a specific state at an appropriate timing.